My first postcard from Zimbabwe

Woman carrying sugarcane

3 Feb 2015 | From Rima of Zimbabwe

POSTCROSSING SWAP

Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in the Southern Africa region with an area of over 390 000 km2, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. The capital and largest city is Harare. Present-day Zimbabwe was historically the site of many[quantify] prominent kingdoms and empires, as well as a major route for migration and trade. An ethnically diverse country of roughly 13 million people, Zimbabwe has 16 official languages, with English, Shona and Ndebele the most commonly used. Zimbabwe's economy is driven by agriculture and the majority of the rural people depend on it for their livelihood.

Some of Africa's most exclusive wildlife is found in Zimbabwe. The country is mostly savannah, although the moist and mountainous east supports tropical evergreen and hardwood forests. There are around 350 species of mammals that can be found in Zimbabwe. There are also many snakes and lizards, over 500 bird species, and 131 fish species. Zimbabwe boasts several major tourist attractions. Victoria Falls on the Zambezi, which are shared with Zambia, are located in the north west of Zimbabwe. Before the economic changes, much of the tourism for these locations came to the Zimbabwe side but now Zambia is the main beneficiary. The Victoria Falls National Park is also in this area and is one of the eight main national parks in Zimbabwe, largest of which is Hwange National Park.

Zimbabwe is unusual in Africa in that there are a number of ancient ruined cities built in a unique dry stone style. The most famous of these are the Great Zimbabwe ruins in Masvingo. Other ruins include Khami Ruins, Zimbabwe, Dhlo-Dhlo and Naletale, although none of these is as famous as Great Zimbabwe.